Red Shoes blog

Blue Skies, Blue Paint, and a tiny tutorial........

  Oh the sunshine, Blue skies, and warmer weather means I get to start stripping......

furniture that is!  ;)

  I love this time of year when I find the killer scores,  drag them to my deck and have at it,  sanding, peeling off all the layers and discovering the beauty below.

 So this week I came home with a GORGEOUS old pie safe, and an old barrister's bookcase with the glass all intact!

  I brought the bookcase down to my lower level basement/Man lair, and organized my c.d.'s and dvd's.....

it fits in beautifully and works perfectly!

i'm so lucky!  :)

  The pie safe was in perfect condition too!....very old, but smelling of old pipe smoke which I adore. That sweet smell of tobacco reminds me of my Grandfather... his attic with cedar walls and his pipe collection displayed all around ... that sweet rustic scent,  love it!

  So I grabbed a cold beverage,

headed outside and began with removing the hardware and the front panels exposing the interior...I then gave it a nice sanding down with my orbital hand held sander by Dewalt.

  I grew up in my Dad's workshop surrounded by tools, so I have a love for the good ones. if you do this stuff,  this tool is a must have in my book, it's my FAVORITE!

 after sanding and bringing it down to bare wood.....(which you really need to do for this technique)

I decided I wanted this piece to be blue,  a gorgeous turquoise style blue,  one of my favorite colors!

 I went to my favorite little paint store, Anderson Paints....and got the good stuff, because you really want good paint for your pieces....I chose a semi gloss finish.

  For this piece I wanted to do a kind of "wash" instead of a full paint job.

  So I just dipped the tip of my paint brush in the paint and kind of do a Semi-dry brush treatment.

 

back and forth, not really covering all of the wood,  letting some of it still show through.

 The Majority of it done with the dry brush technique,  except on the inside shelving.  Because I am So A.D.D.about things, and want to get stuff DONE like Yesterday,  I went the rag route  and poured paint on the inside and rubbed it all over with a dry rag,  covering all of the surface in double time ;)...but I will say it's kinda messy....but that doesn't bother me one bit.

I like to get dirty. because I know what the outcome will be....

a gorgeous new piece for my living room!

yes folks,  I am keeping this one,  it just won me over and I am in LOVE!  :)

in fact I spent the past 3 days completely rearranging and cleaning,  moving things all around because of it.

 My husband was out of town on business,  so when he's gone,  I get BUSY and do stuff... completely purging and re-organizing,  it's such a great feeling.

  The great thing about it too,  is that you really don't have to spend any money to make your house look different,  just moving the couch or a table to a different place completely changes the whole look of things! 

Before:

After:

I am just So happy with the piece,  and how it makes the room.

finally able to see ALL of my wonderful Art books that have been stored in a CLOSET....now available at my fingertips for inspiration!

hanging out here on a lazy Sunday morning....

dogs on my lap....

admiring my new piece and mentally preparing to tackle my day.....

dealing with these clowns.....

and these......

2 nights of sleepovers in a row......the boys busy making skateboarding videos....

and wild little Fiona there of course ......  :)

 So the past few days have been full with kids, cleaning, painting and moving furniture....but what a wild,  fun  little life,  I think today I'll escape to the garden.....and dig in the dirt.....working in my mom's garden,

under beautiful blue skies......

because it's the little things that make me happy  :)

Happy Sunday!

XOXOXO

Sick days........Our style.

  It's never fun to see your child wake up with some sort of illness,  but unfortunately that's part of life.

 SUnday Morning Miss Fiona woke up with Pink eye.

 always such a joy to have that virus.  everyone's eyeballs in the household start itching automatically when you mention that word.

 So of course no school on Monday, then Tuesday, because evidently you need to have 24 hours of antibiotics in the eyes before you can send them back to school.

 So in our household we try to make fun out of miserable situations.

 Now mind you,  Fiona can have a fever and be completely ill, and still want to be creative and busy....you can't hold that girl down!

(i'm the one who wants to lounge around in bed when she's sick)

;)

  SO these past couple of days we got cozy in our house,  pulled out some Japanese craft books,  and had at it.

 
of course i cannot read a darn thing they have to say,

  but thankfully the have pretty little pictures!

 

(please ignore the shriveled up old lady- man hand I grow in the winter)

.........now everything in this book is ADORABLE!!!

made completely out of socks or gloves.

 

..... of course my girl wants to make each and every one of them.

we settle on 2.

(which technically means I will be making them.)

here's our first little guy....

and our second....

these guys are starting to grow on me......

I can see a whole family of them.

but I had work to do,  so I was trying to work on my OWN projects, 

which of course is basically impossible with that child..... god love her.

  SO I had her try and make one on her OWN. so I could do a Little bit of sewing.....

I told her she could just try and do her best.

threading needles...

choosing buttons...

sewing lips.......

YAY!!! she did it!  all by herself 

(well o.k.,  maybe with a teensy bit of help from me, but not much)

you know I cannot completely ignore my girl.....

she doesn't really take kindly to that. hee hee.

did i mention she wears me out? ;)

but it's o.k.,  I kinda dig her. :)

  So we spent the majority of the day indoors away from the chilly cold winter

surrounded by color...

 

and lazy dogs.....

who happily lounge with us on sick days......

(seriously,  that's her happy look)  :)

What a fun day,  despite the virus,  of course.

 So today (wednesday) she was able to go back to school....which of course meant, since I was off work for 2 whole days, I was like a race horse shooting out of the starting blocks.....

trying to catch up on things at the shop...paperwork,  taxes....

re-ordering.....finishing up those heart sachets,  filled with fresh LAVENDER.  ohmigosh, they are amazingly super scented!

the lush colors of the fabric just make your eyeballs SING at this dreary time of year.....

in fact I just LOVE how they LOOK in my house,  they cheer it RIGHT up!

no really!

..anyways,  I'm pretty happy how they're turning out....
 I think Monkey is too ;)

hee hee....

in fact, it's this time of year that has me CRAVING color...

I seek it out.

I can't help it.

so today, while running an errand,  I headed into a store to pick up a little bottle of wine, and some other accoutrements

and ended up coming out with a CHAIR.

a little green leather chair for dirt cheap.

(Ian was not so amused)   but Hey!

I like how it looks in my living room.....

which is funny, because just a few months ago, I started REMOVING color from that very same living room....painting the walls yellow,  and lightening up the space....

trying to become more sedate.......and restful.

but no matter HOW hard I try...

you just can't change your natural self.....

color ALWAYS creeps back into my life....

in fact my friend Suzanne was just saying the very same thing :)

 SO I guess I know what's next on my agenda.....

giving the walls a fresh coat of paint.....

I think I am gonna probably go back to Red... :)

xoxoxoxo

summers end........

 It's that time of year when I start to have those melancholy feelings.

 Sad that summer is nearing it's end, and sad that my kids are gearing up to go back to school.

  it all goes by so fast doesn't it?

  I will say that it's probably time, 

especially when you have a wild child like mine who comes out

of the house entertaining herself with things like this....

 

who knew you could have so much fun with a pantyhose footie.

 

oh man. :)  that Fiona's a LIVE one I tell ya!

  I will certainly miss walking downtown with them...

 

 

and eating ice cream cones everyDAY!!!

 

my waistline however will be thankful to let go of that one!  ;)

  But,  like most moms out there i am happy to get them back to a schedule, back to a routine,  and back to having more time to MYSELF thankyouverymuch.

 i love them and all,  but it's time to get down to business!!! :)

 so even though,  yes,  I am sad to see summer go,  I do love fall,  and all of the things that go along with it!

  the crisp weather, apple orchards, pumpkins, sweaters, jeans, my favorite cowboy boots, plus working with wools and felt.

  I am excited to be working in my new space,  and look forward to thinking up my workshops i'll have planned in the future!

  this week I got started working on a little project for a collaborative artist book i'm a part of that's in the works....

 

o.k.,  I'll admit it looks kind of bad,  but it was a project that required weaving with wire,  which was kind of tough for me.

it's not finished yet,  so don't discount it yet,  but we shall see.  it's fun to add all of the vintage trinkets to it,

old buttons, and aged pieces, scraps of silk.

 I think that in the end, it will look neat when it's hung.

  I have also been working hard on the home front....cleaning up closets,  and organizing EVERYTHING!!!

 can I tell you I have sorted out every little polly pocket shoe,  littlest pet shop accessory, along with miniature cakes and teeny tiny doll house stuff to fill up 2 suitcases.

 i'm seriously growing hoarders in my house!  :)

  we will however be ready come fall with everything neat and tidy,  so I am happy about that.

  I did one thing that made a HUGE difference,  which was take off the old pathetic looking 1960's bifold doors from my kids closets.

  they were a PAIN in the rear end, and took up space.

I took Fiona's off and hung a curtain rod, and some cute little drapery panels,  it makes her room SOOOO much nicer!

 because she has this huge honking vintage bed in her room she needs all the space she can get!

 

so now we don't have those doors protruding into the space.

and was inexpensive to do.

 now in Jackson's room, I did it a little differently....

 i removed his doors, painted the interior of his closet black, and put his BED in there!

 

(he'd kill me if he knew I took his picture while he was still sleeping,  but my gosh!  that kid sleeps till noon!  so I really had no choice!  ha ha)

again,  looking forward to the SCHEDULE!  :)

anyways,

 it created a ton more space and made his room feel more like a "tween" type room with his skateboards and trophies on display,  because after all he'll be a middleschooler this year *sniff*

 

 more room for all if his stuff on the floor now on the otherside!

(did I mention I need a cleaning lady?)

 

 So that's what's been keeping me busy these last couple of days,

  tommorow (saturday) we head up North for 9 days to our most favorite spot on earth.

 a place where our kids run wild and free.

  a wonderful way to wrap up the summer with friends we've known for 20+years.  I certainly can't wait.

 I am crossing my fingers for good weather,  but seriously I don't even care because i will be near crystal clear water, cocktail in hand, and  No schedule whatsoever!  whoo-hoo!

 so on that note,  I will see you in 12 days!

XOXO

hummingbird-turtle syndrome

  Have you ever heard of it? ;)

 I know for a fact I have it!

  I race around each day with the will and determination of a hummingbird,  but constantly feel like I am moving at a turtle pace!

 It's SO frustrating!  especially when you have a mind full of ideas,  but not enough time in the day to accomplish them!

 EVERYTHING takes an excruciating  amount of time as I'm sure you all are acutely aware of!

  Isn't it crazy?  I mean blogging alone takes about 1-2 hours.

 even blow drying my hair takes about 15 minutes!  ha ha!

oh well.  such is life.

  So for the past few days I have been going through my studio at home and packing things up.  (in between kid activities mind you)

loading up my truck to the brim,  and hauling it all to the shop.

  It has been quite the task.  I mean,  I am a PACKRAT with a capital P.  so just going through stuff has taken forEVER.

but of course,  am I letting any of it go yet?  uh,  NO.

  But fortunately I am only displaying the stuff that I really care about and will use, and look aesthetically appealing of course, because Yes,  I am that controlling. ;)

  so that means that come fall I will be having a MASSIVE garage sale with tons of fabric GOING,  tons of SUPPLIES  going.

tons of old vintage stuff that i'm not using,  GOING.

  You get the picture.  :)

  SO here are the pictures of the *NEW* studio/art space coming to life......click on them to see them in all their glory if you wish. :)

 

space for bottles and jars to be filled with goods.....

 

 

 

 

a tiny sampling of the MASSIVE amount of books i'll have on hand for inspiration

 

a teensy sampling of the fabric I have.

uh,  5 more garbage bags FULL of it in the basement.

and about 4 bins of old sweaters and wool felt to use too.

shhhhh,  I know I have issues!  ha ha!

a nice sunny spot to sew where I can look out and see the downtown WORLD!

 

 

 

 

 a variety of half started projects,  now in full view so that they *may* be finished...eventually!  :)

and plenty of space for my studio partner....:)

 

and 8 seats for YOU,  when I finally get it together!  shootin' for FALL!  weeeeeeee!!!!

 SO hope you like what you see so far!  I am certainly super excited,

with a noggin FULL of ideas...

Also, thanks a TON to all of you that left comments,  I try to answer them,  but that's another area where that syndrome kicks in. :)

  Now besides packing and schlepping, I have been enjoying summer with friends and family of course...

 

out on the town,  partying every weekend.....

enjoying cooking with fresh foods!

totally in LOVE with my prolific tomato plant!

polenta with ratouille for BREAKFAST whoo-hoo!!!

hanging with my people at the pool...

 

(only half of us like getting our picture taken mind you,  darn pre-teens!)

  yesterday my daughter and I went antiquing and also hit some garage sales!  SO fun!

  we scored only a FEW things......

this fantastic vintage suitcase....

 

covered in wonderful stickers....

with a nice patina and wear to it...

my mind wondering what kind of child carried this.

what he or she packed in it.

 it obviously meant a lot to this child, when I opened it up I gasped...

 

they had this cool picture tacked up inside of a native american on horseback...with a candy colored sky.

 I made me think of being on the road traveling,  cowboys, lone ranger comic books and whatever else that little person must have packed in there!

So cute!!!

  It now will have another life filled with fun things....

or just displayed and loved some more!

 we also found a cool stash at a random barn sale we stumbled upon.

 

sweet little aprons, and vintage slips,  I love, LOVE the feel of the satin.

 

 I hand washed them.......thinking they would be great under lightweight clothes,  and of course on someone with a TEENY-tiny figure!  sheesh!

 we also found some cool old gas station numbers and a valvoline sign that I think will make a great magnet board!

 

 my daughter was totally getting into the thrill of the hunt,  so that was exciting to be able to pass that feeling on to a younger generation,  hoping,  HOPING that they will love junk, and weathered things as much as I do.

.....appreciating the life these things had before,  and the ability to love them again!

  So on that note,  i am OFF to continue to unpack things, and arrange my new space.

  can't wait till it all comes together soon!

whoo-HOO!!!!

as always,  thanks SOOOO much for stopping by!!

XOXOXOXO

 

up early!

Well for me anyways!  ha ha!  This summer program has me sleeping in until way past Nine!  oh the decadence!

 Actually my kids usually don't go down till the wee hours of the night too,  so I guess it kind of evens out!

  Last night I couldn't sleep a wink however.

 My husband is out of town yet again on business.  this usually doesn't bother me,  we keep busy, the house runs fine,  I sleep pretty well,  but last night as I was cleaning the kitchen late,  I heard the front door start to open.  My dog heard it too,  and Ran to the front living room barking her head off.

 No one was there!

  It seriously scared me.  We live in a nice cozy neighborhood,  so that isn't an issue,  but when you hear things like that,  it kind of rattles you.  especially when your dog spends the rest of her night perched on the chair looking out the window.

oh my.

  Anyways,  we were ALL able to fall asleep somewhere around midnight,  the kids of course were flipping out.

but we survived the night!  ha ha!

  I of course tossed and turned,  my mind twirling with things,

mostly these goodies,  with only a few scary thoughts in between mind you!  :)

 

some of the wonderful things I found over the weekend at the stamp show that my friend Mary had a booth at!

 

gorgeous paper flowers, and vintage bingo pieces from another vendor

 

a Virgin Mary of guadalupe stamp. Hey, I'm half Mexican,  I can't help myself.  I love this image!  :)

 

interesting papers to play with!

 

 

 

mary at FOUND put together some fantastic paper packages!

so if you are local you should go and scoop up some for yourself!

You can also find some wonderful paper packages here

at the new shop I found in a magazine that I am FLIPPING OVER!

  when I grow up,  I want to be just like them!  ha ha!

 

 I also bought some new supplies,  because, you know,  you can NEVER have enough art supplies right?  I LOVE to collect them  dreaming of a day when I can actually use them!  ;)

  SO from Mary I bought this new stuff to make those resin filled pendants!

 

 I am very excited to try this!

 

 and who doesn't need some old ruler scrap bits?  I know I do!  :)

 

 a WONDERFUL old book  filled with yummy vintage images...

owned in a previous life by...

 

her name alone had me at "Hello" 

  Barbie LeJeune,  oh the ideas I came up with,  most of them involved fancy Parisian themes,  and bicyles.  but you know I am a kook.   that's how MY mind works!  :)

 But seriously,  when you crack open this book it is filled with wonderful images that i hope to do something with...sometime....

 

 

and my favorite...

 

why they've paired snakes and balloons is beyond me,  but it works,  don't you think?  hee hee.

Now speaking of fantastic Images,  my own daughter is my constant source of inspiration,  even my son is amazed by her,  seeing her wonderful drawings that comes from an even wilder imagination than mine!

  Both Jackson and I struggle for artistic ideas all the time,  but not this girl,  she overflows with them.

these are her newest creations,  and I believe I will be turning them into some pillows soon!,  maybe even today! :)

 

 

 

that is in between all of the other summer activities we have planned for today!

 pool, blueberry picking, library, farmers market.....

(realistically,  only one of these things will probably be accomplished,  but we have high hopes!  ha ha!)

 SO, have you been enjoying your local produce lately?

there is nothing better than summer fare that's for sure!

 I made fresh ratatouille the other night!  YUM!

 

So on that note,  I am off to eek out a little art time before my people wake up for the day!  thanks for stopping by!

XOXOXO

 

Sum of my parts......(this week)

breakin' it down like this......
 This weeks wrap up.
what I am celebratin'!

 What I am doing.......

cleaning

What I am listening to

what I am eating



what I am drinking

I  love having you back in my life,
xoxoxoxoxoxoxooxooxooxoxooxoxooxoxooxoxooxoxoo

what I am wearing...........
one day this

the next day this!
thankyou michigan weather!

where I have been this weekend


what I am reading


what I relate to, 

what I am buying



what I am  working on


what I should be doing

instead I'm doing this.....

what I am loving



and this week I am hating
TYPEPAD!
grrrrrr.    sometimes an old dog,  Does NOT want to learn new tricks!
my blog is now becoming quite painful for me to do.
 So on that note,  when I have more time to waste farting around
with the new template I'll do more babbling. because you KNOW
iv'e got tons to share!
 Hope you are all well!
talk soon!
xoxoxo
catherine

 

Quandary

  I was in a state of that yesterday.....what to do!
Now usually when I am out hunting for vintage treasures and goods it's purely for the shop.
  I really don't have any room at home for more STUFF.
  The Bad thing about it is,  I buy what I love,  then in turn share it with you, So Sometimes the things I find ARE hard to part with, because I truly do only buy what I would have in my own home!
  Thankfully most times I have discipline and control myself, I faithfully clean them up and bring the goods down to the store to sell.
Yesterday was Not the case.
I had weakness.
I had no self control
I lost all ability to think clearly.
I fell in love.

Now when I spotted this I initially gasped out loud and was VERY excited,  not only at the good price, but where I was going to put it at the store.
I also thought I was going to give it a nice sanding and paint it another color,  perhaps a bright blue.
  But the bad thing is that I brought it home and put it in my garage.........and started thinking.
(that's always a bad thing)
Then of course,  being the type of person I am,
I literally carried this THING into my house,  BY MYSELF. right that minute.  I am very determined you see.
I can't wait.
because if I had waited for Ian to come home and help me, he would have tried to talk me out of bringing it inside.  he would have insisted that it go down to the shop.
that's why I don't listen to him. ;)
because see how cute it looks right here....

it perfectly holds all some of my books, and favorite trinkets.
things I NEED to surround me for inspiration.



So really this thing has purpose, it's HELPING me become a better person.
in fact i am feeling so inspired right now just LOOKING at those books filled with ideas and goodness.

I could just sit here all day!
with you know who, of course.
xoxoxoxo
c.
p.s.
thanks for the cheeto love,  you made me feel so much better!

Sunshine and Rest.....

  Makes ALL the difference in the WORLD!
Thanks to all of you who left me sweet comments and commiserated on the whole parenting thing....we all have our stories now don't we?   Makes life so much fun!
  I spent the majority of the weekend in BED and got lots of rest,  then spent Sunday with kids and play dates.....worked on cleaning the house and doing laundry.  It's funny how those mundane things can really,  HONESTLY make me feel better.
  Having a clean home, even though it literally lasts a day (or really a few hours)  can make my head feel a little less foggy.
  Well, That is until I met with my adorable accountant yesterday!
I have to tell you,  I have the greatest accountant,  he is very laid back,  Hippie-groovy really,  charges VERY reasonable rates and always gives me fantastic tips on how to run my Quick books program or how to cut corners and save money,  not to mention that he is very patient with me,  and can deal with my very dis-organized ways without being mad at me!
  He's also in a band which makes me think he is very cool indeed.
  But I have to tell you,  In spite of all of the wonderful things he is,  when he starts to talk numbers to me,  and inventory, and itemizing things I start to glaze over and become POLYESTER......completely NON-absorbent!
  I absolutely HATE this time of year,  counting things.
But thankfully I have HIM,  and ANN who counted EVERYTHING in the shop for me,  and wrote it down neatly in a book.  they truly are saints and I could not  do this with out them.
  I know where my strengths and weaknesses are!
So today, Since I have them dealing with that crud,  I will be home  trying to finish up these little projects I have been working on.......
  I recently stumbled back onto that fabric you can put into your printer and print photos onto.
   I actually have used it before,  but sometimes you have one of those "aha!" moments and a NEW project comes out that inspires you!  so this is what I was working on
this week!

I took vintage classroom flashcards and printed them onto fabric to make pillows!  I love these huge graphics! I didn't see any copyright marks on them either,  so I think I am o.k. But If I end up in jail over these pillows,  you'll know why.
what a fun technique though!  I love this stuff!


I'm also working on using my OWN artwork for some of these projects, because this truly is a very versatile thing.
  The only one complaint I have about it however is that the paper backing didn't really come off of the fabric that easily,  Thankfully I didn't have a brain-hemorrhage from the rage I experienced at trying to peel that junk off,  because when you have a 5 hour window of opportunity to create something,  the last thing you want to be doing is peeling off little bits of paper!
grrrrr!  so anyone out there know of a good product,  please let me know!
  I also started working on those number pillows and should have some uploaded to the site in the next 2 weeks.

it all takes time, but I am faithfully working on it all.....now on a side note, check out my new little cat-eye glasses aren;t they so cute?  I bought them at Plum market.  Yes,  that place is becoming a bit of a problem for me. I really LIKE it there a lot.
  I actually saw another fellow blogger there, and unfortunately she gave me a great tip about lotion,  which of course led me down another dangerous aisle, and I had to buy!
So if you are shriveling up like me and need a great lotion for your skin,  because you are having a mid-life crisis and feel like wrinkles are sprouting everywhere and your trying to stop it as best you can try this lotion......it works!
thanks Heather,  you really made my day.....
which leads me to another Topic and something that I have been totally remiss at reciprocating because,  well you know,  life has a way of doing that to you....
but 2 other bloggers were so kind and generous at giving me this little award

The sweet Karey all the way over there across the world!,  and the very talented and Kind Anne over across the big lake, (check out her dogs,  they are adorable!)
You guys are VERY kind to give me this award,  but unfortunately i am the WORST person at doing these kinds of things because the whole premise is that you are supposed to then choose 5 other blogs that make YOUR day and list them and do links etc.
well,  this is just too much for me, i can't do it!
I would hate to leave anyone out because you ALL inspire me and make my day every time you come and visit, or stop by and give me an encouraging word.
SO just know that I nominate ALL of you for that award o.k.!
Which of course leads me to the next and constant
guilty topic of email.
i will just be honest with you and say,  If I get more than 3 comments in my box, in addition to the other pile of email in my in-box,  I again become polyester and can't absorb. can you tell I am easily overwhelmed?
but you all know I have problems!  :)
So if I don't respond,  just know it's not personal.
because you know I have to reiterate that oh,  about every-other blog post,  because I care!
  Now my LAST thing for today is this......
look what just rolled into the shop yesterday!
control yourself,  the cuteness may be too much....
Ann herself was doing a LOT of hugging and squeezing yesterday, I'm not kidding.

aren't they so flippen cute?!  oh my!  and the prices are amazing,  just $12-$14!
they come with these little adorable outfits...

and the shoes,  now don't even get me started!

OOOOH!
  SO on that note,  I better put this incredibly LONG and sorry post to rest, go park myself next to the window in the sweet sunshine and get back to work so I can actually show you some more FUN things soon!
As always,  thanks for stopping by
You really ALL do make my day!
xoxoxo
c.






 

will you be my Valentine?

Happy Valentines Day to you all!
I hope you are all surrounded by love and warmth today.
I want to thank you all for the nice comments about my Boy,  thank you thank you!
  He Actually was supposed to be my Valentine baby,  that was his due-date  but since he was so big they decided to make things happen a little faster.
but the funny thing is,  he is always surrounded by hearts,  he finds them everywhere,  it really is kind of sweet how it really does happen.
  I have written about it before, but it's wild how those hearts follow him,  they will show up in a potato chip,  on a bubble in the shower,  he had a heart-shaped pickle the other day on his hamburger,  no joke.  he has hearts around him everywhere.
  I always tell him it's because he is truly loved.
and he is.  So thanks for sharing that with me,  you are all very kind.
  Today we are just going to hang out as a family,  no big plans,  my husband and I don't really celebrate valentines day,
I know he loves me,  and vice-versa.  I certainly don't need any chocolate,  or flowers,  not the diamond type either.  so lucky for him he has a cheap date!
  We will probably just watch a movie,  and I am O.k. with that!   looking forward to it actually. I am pretty tired.
I have been working lately on jewelry,  but I am going to take a break.
  Don't know what I will be working on today,  but I will show you whatever I come up with soon.
Life has been wild lately,  so I haven't been around much.   In fact I think I need a break period.
  I am feeling a little overwhelmed and need to get my noggin straight.
  I feel like I am going in a million directions and not getting anywhere fast.
Yesterday was nuts,  had to take Jackson to the Doctor,  then whip home and make valentines for 32 kids in Fiona's class and then 18 for his class,  get kids fed, guitar lesson for Jackson, whip over to Fiona's preschool for an Art night,  race home get kids bathed and read them a book then bed...... in between it all throw in trying to make things and running the store...
  Sometimes it really is too much.  I question why on earth I do it.  blah, blah, blah.
  I hate to be a drip,  but I totally am. Sorry.
So you see...I need to go away for awhile so I can come back on the sunny side of things.  you don't want to hear me gripe!  You want COlor,  and Art work, and painting tips,  maybe even a tutorial or two.
I'll work on it.
  Now I don't want you to think it's all gloom and doom,  or to paint this picture that we are this perfect family hanging around singing kumbaya together,  but Something that we have been doing lately together has been wonderful.
We have been all piling in on our bed at night and reading a chapter book together out loud.
  every night we read a couple of chapters....  this week it's been the book "because of Winn Dixie"
what a great book!
  It's been great being together reading and listening,  my husband and I taking turns reading aloud.
It reminds me of the old days when people would sit around on front porches telling stories.
  My mother always used to do that with us when we were kids at the dinner table,  and I remember how special it was.  In fact the other night I was driving home somewhere with the kids, and decided to tell them a ghost story.  they were fascinated......they kept asking to hear more stories,  completely spellbound by my words.   the great thing about it too was that they stopped fighting for a minute and actually listened!
I will admit the sad thing is,  I don't have that many stories,  or at least ones I can remember.
  My mothers life was rich with stories from her childhood growing up, basically wild in Texas.
  She would tell stories about her Grandfather who was an herbal Faith healer or cunandera,  whom people would travel from Miles around to visit because he was so amazing.
  She would speak Of the times she would drive the car when she was only 12 years old,  of picking ripe oranges off the trees and eating them right there in the fields while staring up at the clouds....watching chickens laying eggs,  and many other adventures she would have.
  I know these don't sound too exciting to you,  but to me they meant everything.
  So if I can leave you with ONE positive Thing today...
that would be
Try telling your kids a story,  or reading them one,
you will be amazed at what happens! 
if nothing else,
you will be amazed at just what spending a little bit of time can do for them and you...it truly will make your heart swell,  and that folks is really what it's all about.
  Hope you have a great Valentines day.
love to you all!
xoxoxoxo

snail's pace in a fast world.....

  I haven't been able to get my groove on posting wise,  can never eek out a second to myself to post pictures or even create much. 
probably better that I HAVEN"T been writing other wise I might have come off as kind of grouchy...because some things have been happening beyond my control that set me off on a bad foot, for example,  what would you do if your husband,  who was trying to be sweet and helpful took several bags of clothing and items to the Salvation Army,  including a large bag of your very GOOD shoes....shoes
that you still WORE, and one that held your rare vintage GREEN 1970's Tony Lama cowboy boots?
hmmmm.  at first I screamed out loud "WHAT?,  you DID NOT DO THAT!"  but then I snapped back out of it took DEEP BREATHS and told him,  they are just material possessions,  it's o.k.,  i'll get over it.
  Because really I am a very cheerful person,  but lately I have been a tad frustrated.  little things here and there.  you know the deal,  an "off" week.
  Do you ever get to the point where you are trying to craft something,  or produce an Idea that you have,  but it takes FOREVER to implement it,  or when you do create it,  it just didn't turn out like you envisioned?
That's where I am at. 
I have 3 days off from the shop a week,  those are the days that I am "supposed" to be creating something,  lately it's been nothing but messes.
  People ask me every year to make my ornaments.  well,  Honestly, they take me a ridiculous amount of time to make,  and when I only charge $8-$10 for them,  they really aren't very cost-effective.
  then I get the whole "why do i do this" conversations rolling around in my head.  "WHy DO i do this when people in China are just cranking out things out for dirt cheap?" 
well,  because I do like to do them,  and they are handmade,and from the heart.....but....
  Then there's the whole handmade vs. mass produced conversations I have too.
but anyhoo....I could spiral on about these things......gosh,  i am sounding grouchy and bitter aren't i?   I'm HAPPY,  REALLY-TRULY!!!!!
so this is what I DID manage to crank out,  they should be in the shop next week,  I still have to finish them....and that's all that I will have for this year.  a small batch.

I still have to add the little wire handles....
takes some time....

and little blue birds....all lined up waiting for eyes to be painted on, and beads to be threaded through,  which will take me forever too,  because I am compulsive about WHICH beads to use.  yes,  I have problems.


I also decided this year to make tiny house ornaments,  since you all seem to like the houses.....well,  that project BOMBED.
but I think I will finish painting them and put them ALL on a small pre-lit tree and sell it as a finished set.  what do you think?

so after numerous failures I moved on to making pillows which is better for me,  when I finally got myself cooking and on a roll,  it was time to pick up kids and then head back to work at the shop,  so next week,  i should have a few of these pillows finished,  and some time to think of new ones to be created.....

one will be for the shop,  and one will be a gift for a sweet friend.
I sure hope she likes it.

now at the storefront things have been rocking and rolling,  we are continuing to get more things coming in to us.....
we have a TON of children's goods.  all adorable.....
look what just came in today....i could scream!

little Art Folio's for the kids...perfect for taking to the restaurant, or on a long car ride.  the set comes with a notepad and little pockets filled with crayons.  too cute.
if there is one thing in this world that keeps my children occupied in a restaurant,  (and you know we live in them),  it's a pen and paper, so this is perfect!

we have several different style.....all adorable.

simple little crayon rolls too......ohhh!

i also have some cute, cute, cute books and paper products coming in soon.....
and a box of Japanese cute tableware and tape just rolled in from my friendly UPS guy.






I also have some hand made Knit goods like mittens and scarves that have been made from recycled sweaters that just rolled in today from walter and veronica. can't wait to open the box!
  Plus we have a ton of books, puzzles, colored pencils and other toys waiting to be priced and put out,  and a new jewelry line that might be coming soon too.
  ....Also, the book signing was a hit, and Tracy Gallup left us with some of her amazing dolls so stop by and see them!  FABULOUS!




I promise I wasn't the model for this one!

  So amidst all of the craziness,  things are still happening here,  and things coming in at the last minute.
  We are also going to be open late tommorow for MIDNIGHT MADNESS downtown, we will be open until 11p.m.  sorry i'm not open until midnight,  but I am an old bag,  and usually am asleep by 10,  so this is a major accomplishment for me.
  I might be a little slap-happy,  so please excuse my behavior in advance.
  SO on that note,  I better get back to work...enough slacking.
Hope all of you are well and being productive people in this fast-paced world.  send some inspirational vibes this way wontcha?! 
xoxoxoxo
catherine